A new miracle? Pope John Paul II takes step toward sainthood

Some news from another sector, so to speak, to part that sea of red figures on your stock screen Thursday.

Top Roman Catholic theologians have given a thumbs-up to a second miracle attributed to John Paul II, according to reports. The OK puts the late pontiff a step closer to being declared a saint, with some reports speculating that his canonization could come as soon as October.

Additional required steps include approval from a commission of cardinals and bishops, as well as a final OK from Pope Francis. If sainthood for John Paul II came in October, that would roughly coincide with the 35th anniversary of his election as pope. John Paul II died in April 2005 at the age of 84.

EWTN, a Catholic TV network, reports that Pope Benedict XVI beatified the former Karol Wojtyła in May 2011 in part on the grounds that a French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, was miraculously cured of Parkinson’s disease through his intercession. That afforded him the honorific Blessed John Paul II.

The second miracle that’s now drawing attention has to do with a Costa Rican woman recovering from a brain injury after praying to John Paul II, according to a report from the Atlantic Wire.

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